Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Today, I turn 40 years old.It is quite a sobering thought, really.At the same time, though, I feel alive
and wonderful.When I look back
over the years I have spent on this earth, I am sobered by how quick time has
flown by.I know that time won’t
be slowing down any time soon, either.However, I don’t feel any older than I did yesterday.I feel healthy and vibrant.In fact, I feel better than I did
through my teens and 20s because of the lifestyle changes I have made over this
past decade.Becoming more active,
eating a diet of whole foods, and growing my self has been life-changing and so
beneficial.

As a New Year’s Eve baby, I have the unique opportunity to
reflect over the past year’s experiences as I transition into a new year.However, I choose not to make New
Year’s resolutions because I know me and I know that when combining a list of
resolutions (the bigger, the better, in my mind, though I know better than
that) with my humanness, chances are I will most likely break those
resolutions.So, I work at making
small changes the whole year through, changes that I can implement and make a
part of my life.Don’t get me
wrong…those small changes can sometimes get derailed in a big way, if I don’t
take the time necessary to fully implement them.

Take, for instance, my training for a 50k next year.I started my training the beginning of
December.I was ready for it and
felt a huge sense of drive and motivation to get out there and “do this!”Then, life got in the way.I’m sure you are all familiar with life
and it’s ability to get in the way of accomplishing things we set out to
do.Life, in my case, was a sore
hip flexor that didn’t want to cooperate with my training.Life was also a virus that settled into
my lungs over two weeks ago, that is still trying to keep a grasp on my lungs,
though I think I have finally kicked the majority of the nastiness out.All of you runners know how difficult
it can be to push yourself to run when anything is going on in your lungs.After all, if you can’t breathe, it
makes it really difficult to do any sort of running.

So, I spent the first two weeks of December tending to my
hip flexor, doing more walking than running.And, I spent the last two weeks just doing anything I could
to get outside and keep moving, so as not to lose all of the conditioning and gains I have made over the last 11
months, since I started running in February 2013.The third week, in particular, was the hardest to swallow,
because I didn’t make it out, even for a walk, that week. Most of my time was spent in bed and
then, when I made it back to work after two days missed, I focused my energy on
getting through work, since work is spent on my feet the entire time I am
there.

Life got in the way.It got in the way, to the extent, that I missed every goal I had in
place for the month of December.Not hitting those goals has been hard medicine to swallow.I have questioned my ability, my motivation,
my desire, my willingness, or lack thereof in all four areas, many times over
the last month.It has been a hard
month.It has also been an
enlightening month.I realized
that life’s circumstances do not dictate myability, motivation, desire, and
willingness, unless I let those circumstances dictate those things to me.I have the choice to perceive life as
getting in the way or as what it is…life!

I have made the choice to view my circumstances as positive
ones.I put in quite a bit of
mileage the first two weeks of December despite my tender hip flexor, and while
it may not have been all running, it included walking and I didn’t have to
completely stop doing either.I
was able to continue running and walking while my hip flexor mended.Though I wasn’t able to put in near the
mileage I wanted over the last two weeks, I am no worse off than I was before
and I feel ready to get back out there and get back to what I
love…running.Also, that time off
allowed complete mending of my hip flexor and it is stronger than ever now.

Yesterday, I went to the track and I ran for an hour.I turned off everything that had to do
with distance and pace on my watch and I ran solely based on total time and
heart rate.It was one of the best
things I could have done, thanks to my husband recommending I do it.It cleared my head of all the
nonsensical junk and I ran for the love of running instead of running to
train.It was mind-clearing and
much needed, both physically and mentally.My plan is to do the same thing today.I will go for total time instead of
distance and pace.Eventually, I
will train, again, using pace and distance, but for now, I am keeping it
simple, bringing my focus back to the pleasure I get from running and away from
an end goal almost a year away.

I am excited about what the future holds, but more
importantly, I am excited about now, about living in the moment and enjoying
the journey.I hope you all are,
too.Best wishes for the coming
year, but better-than-best wishes as you live your journey.May you live life fully and may it be
filled with joy.Happy New Year!

What do you do when
life gets in your way?How do you
overcome perceived setbacks?What
do you do to stay in the moment of your journey and enjoy it?I look forward to reading your comments
and hearing about your journeys.

About Me

My name is Shannon. I am an athlete, in the making. I have never been an athlete before. I was always the kid who was the slowest runner, the one who hated to play tag because I was always "it." I never even learned to ride a bicycle until late 2012, at the age of 38. I lacked good hand-eye coordination and attempted to avoid sports of any kind. Though I liked to PLAY sports, I hesitated to engage because I was terrible and believed I couldn't get any better. That belief is now changing. I know with practice and perseverance, I can become the athlete I never was. This is my story. This is my journey.